This lesson is based on the book, "The Tiny Seed", by Eric Carle. This story will be used to introduce the children to the concept that seeds change and grow into plants when conditions in the environment including temperature, light, water and soil are appropriate. Children will learn that plants produce seeds that can become new plants. Through extended activities, the children will experience first-hand the germination of seeds. They will become familiar with the parts of a plant and learn how each part works to produce a healthy plant.

Students will learn how to infer ancient climate and plant use by interpreting archaeobotanical samples.

Task Description: Students explore the concept of addition and subtraction combining and dividing seeds in a pot. Students pretend to be busy gardeners, adding seeds to the pot to plant and grow, or hungry birds, swooping down from high above to subtract seeds from the pot to eat. Students will explore plants, including their attributes and growth cycle, over the course of one month or longer. This interdisciplinary unit on plants consists of 4 sequence learning plans. Each activity or learning plan works best with a small group of 4-5 students, in centers, over the course of one week. Duration of student engagement in tasks will vary, but the recommendation for each activity is 20 minutes or less. This Common Core-aligned task for mathematics is to be used in correlation with the Common Core-aligned task for literacy, Plants Are All Around Us.

Task Description: Students observe plants in their neighborhood and classroom and discover how books provide factual information about real life things, like plants. Students will explore plants, including their attributes and growth cycle, over the course of one month or longer. This interdisciplinary unit on plants consists of 4 sequences learning plans. Each activity or learning plan works best with a small group of 4-5 students over the course of one week. Duration of student engagement in tasks will vary, but the recommendation is of each activity is 20 minutes or less. This Common Core-aligned literacy task is to be used in correlation with the curriculum embedded common core aligned task for mathematics, How Many Little Seeds?

Gravitropism is the turning or growing in a different direction of a plant in response to gravity. Phototropism is the turning or growing in a different direction of a plant in response to light. The seedlings in this video can't turn fully toward the light because of their response to gravity.

Gravitropism is the turning or growing in a different direction of a plant in response to gravity. This corn plant's root grows downward and exhibits positive gravitropism because it is growing toward gravity's pull.

This group of letters is a sample of the extensive correspondence Darwin carried on with a wide group of friends and colleagues as he collected evidence to support his theory of evolution by natural selection. From Charles Darwin's Letters: A Selection 1825-1859.

This essay from Wayne's Word explores seed dispersal by water and describes some of the physical adaptations that evolution has produced in the seeds and fruits that travel this way.

In this video from Curious George, join students as they investigate banana peels and fruit seeds to discover their different functions.

This activity is an indoor lab investigation where students compare and contrast different growing environments for a lima bean seed and discover the optimal conditions needed for growth.

This image from Biology by Kenneth R. Miller and Joseph Levine illustrates the five most important parts of a seed: the seed coat, the endosperm, and the embryo's primary root, cotyledon, and embryonic leaves.

In this video from Curious George, learn about how beans, a type of seed, can sprout into plants.

Focuses on planting seeds, observing growth and identifying plant parts and their functions. Includes four activities.

This essay from Wayne's Word explores the hitchhiking method of seed dispersal, and how a closer look at one of these bur plants gave rise to an invention.

This collection of images shows several types of plant seeds, each with a different mechanism for dispersing from the parent plant.

In this ZOOMSci experiment, you're invited to walk through a grassy or weedy field in your stocking feet, then plant a sock and see what grows.